It's Messy (but he wouldn't have it any other way)
by DobbyRocksSocks
Summary: When Andromeda dies, Harry becomes Teddy's primary guardian. Can Harry get over his fears and look after the little boy he loves?


**Disclaimer - I own nothing you recognise.**

 _Written for Hogwarts Assignment 7, Careers Advice - Write about a protector_

 **Beta'd by the lovely Jenny**

 **Word Count - 1696**

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 **It's Messy (but he wouldn't have it any other way)**

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 _The lion was crouched, it's tail swinging menacingly. Teddy had been battling through the jungle for ages, his clothes torn from the sharp branches of the monstrous trees. The creatures and critters he'd already fought had taken much of his energy from him._

 _Teddy paused, staring at the lion. He knew that if the lion pounced, he'd be a goner._

 _Thinking quickly, he dug around in his backpack for something to distract the dangerous predator with._

 _His last bits of food, a bag of apple slices, was all he could think to use. Would the lion like apples? He had to give it a try._

 _The lion's eyes narrowed as he opened the bag, and just as Teddy was about to throw the apple slices in the opposite direction, the lion pounced…_

 _..._

Harry sipped at his cup of tea, the sunshine warming him nicely as he sat at the small table in the back garden. Teddy was playing down by the trees, a monitoring spell on the area keeping him safe from harm.

He was proud of his garden. The flowers were blooming nicely, he had a pond in progress and the bottom of the garden was a great place for Teddy to play.

He'd been living with Harry for a little over a month, since the tragic death of his Grandma Andromeda. Before she'd died, Harry had only looked after Teddy for one weekend a month and the occasional day out, so it was certainly an adjustment.

He wondered if he was doing a good job, if he could be doing anything better, or differently, if he was missing anything important.

He constantly doubted himself, and he could admit, if only in his own mind, that he was struggling with the transition.

Still, he'd managed to keep Teddy safe, and he supposed that was the most important thing.

Just as Harry thought that, the air was filled with a scream, followed by "UNCLE HARRY -HELP!"

He dropped his cup, barely noticing when tea spilled all over him, and ran the length of the garden, leaning over a large bush to pull Teddy up from where he was lying underneath Crookshanks.

The cat, which Harry had agreed to look after while Ron and Hermione were on their honeymoon, was licking happily at Teddy's face.

As Harry stood up, a throat cleared behind him, making him spin around, Teddy held tightly in his grasp.

Ginny stood watching him, her lips spread in an amused grin. He saw her eyes trail down him, widening when she reached his crotch. Harry looked down to see the wet patch left by the spilt tea in a very unflattering place.

"Well, this is awkward," he muttered, mortified.

"Oh, I don't know. I might be gay, but I can still appreciate a nice ass," Ginny replied, losing whatever battle she was fighting with her laughter.

"Language, Ginny!" Harry replied, covering Teddy's ears.

She raised her hands. "My bad. Give Teddy Bear here and go and change."

Rolling his eyes, Harry handed the little boy over to his still grinning ex-girlfriend.

She was a bloody menace.

…

 _Uncle Harry had saved him from the lion! He'd been pulled from the claws of the beast just in time! Teddy wasn't really surprised - his Uncle Harry was a hero and he always protected Teddy from the monsters under the bed, so he really should've known that he'd be there to save him from the lion._

 _Aunt Ginny had him now while Uncle Harry went to change his clothes, and that made Teddy happy because she always fetched the best presents!_

…

Harry returned downstairs to find Teddy sprawled on the carpet, playing with a reusable hangman.

Harry shook his head at Ginny. "You don't think he's a bit young for that?" he asked, leading her into the kitchen.

Ginny shrugged. "Nah. S'not like he's gonna realise that the dude dies every time he doesn't get the word, is it?"

Pulling a bag of chips from the freezer, Harry asked, "What brings you by?"

"Eh, Pansy is busy today, so I thought I'd come and annoy you. How's Teddy doing? You've had him for a month now, right?"

Harry nodded. "Little bit over. He's doing well, I think. He has bad days and good, and occasionally can be a little bit destructive. Still asks for Andy, but that's to be 's all he's ever really known. His first memories were of her."

"And you," Ginny argued. "You've always been in his life."

"Not that much though," Harry replied with a sigh as he put the chips in the fryer. "Do you want some french fries?"

Ginny shook her head. "I'm good. I thought that maybe we could take Teddy out to the beach. Maybe even take a picnic?"

"Picnic!" Teddy shouted, as he walked into the room, the hangman dangling from his hand.

Harry raised his eyebrow at Ginny. "You knew he was there then, didn't you?"

She grinned. "Look, it'll kill two birds with one stone. You can get out of the house _and_ have some adult company, and Teddy gets to see the beach. The weather is gorgeous, Harry!"

Knowing he couldn't argue, since only a little while ago he'd been appreciating the weather himself, Harry turned the frier off and banished the half cooked chips. There was no point trying to save them, they'd only turn into a soggy mess.

"Go entertain Teddy while I put a picnic together," Harry agreed with a put upon sigh.

Ginny left the kitchen, giggling at Harry's mutterings about women that should have been in Slytherin like their girlfriends.

…

 _The beach! Teddy didn't actually know what a beach was, but when Uncle Harry had laid out a blanket and stripped off Teddy's shoes and socks, he'd been excited to find out. The ground - sand, Uncle Harry called it - was soft and squidgy beneath his toes, and it made him giggle._

 _Uncle Harry gave him a bucket and showed him how to dig in the sand to make castles. Castles! Teddy was going to build the bestest castle in the whole world for him and Uncle Harry to live in! It was going to have a moat, and sea monsters and dragons and…_

 _It was going to be the bestest ever! Uncle Harry was so much fun!_

…

Once Teddy was settled with his bucket and spade, Harry sat down on the blanket beside Ginny, leaning back on his elbows.

"So, how are you really doing?" Ginny asked, a knowing look in her eyes.

"I'm fine," Harry replied automatically.

"Uh huh."

"I am," he argued, with a huff. "Mostly."

"Mostly?"

"I guess I'm just worried that I'm not doing a good job with him. It's… harder than I expected, this single parent thing. I just… what if I'm not doing something right, or he gets hurt, or I mess up and then something happens and what if -"

"Harry," Ginny interrupted, resting a hand on his shoulder. Harry breathed heavily. His outburst had been unexpected but clearly necessary.

"I don't want to let Andromeda down, or Remus, or Tonks. I'm trying so hard to make sure I do everything right, and I'm scared, Gin. I'm so scared I'm going to fuck it all up."

"You don't have to do it on your own, you know? You're allowed to ask for help. Nobody will think any less of you."

A single tear fell onto Harry's cheek. "I just want to make them proud."

"Oh, Harry," Ginny murmured, wrapping her arms around him. "You already make them proud every day, just by being you. You could never let Teddy down. Not ever. You're doing well, Harry, as well as anyone else could in the situation you're in. Cut yourself some slack."

Harry glanced over at the little boy who was currently having a ball making his castle, murmuring to himself as he did.

"You should set up a day a week for Mum to have him," Ginny suggested, as Harry pulled himself together. "Let's be real, she's been itching to get her hands on him for weeks. If we don't let her nurturing side out soon, she might actually explode. And you know she can get slightly psychotic if she doesn't have someone to dote all over on a regular basis."

Laughing, Harry nodded. That sounded like a good idea.

"Teddy?" he called, smiling when the little boy looked up at him. "Are you ready to eat?"

…

 _Uncle Harry made a comfortable pillow. Teddy was full up and sleepy from the delicious picnic, and as soon as Uncle Harry cleaned up his sticky hands, Teddy had curled up on his chest, nice and comfortable._

 _He liked the beach, he'd decided. He hoped Uncle Harry fetched him back soon - maybe just the two of them so they could build an even bester castle together!_

 _Nap time now, though. Teddy let the calm heartbeat of his Uncle lull him into sleep._

...

Harry settled himself into bed, the day catching up with him. When they'd returned home from the beach, they'd had dinner and then had a rather messy bathtime, where Captain Teddy decided to be a pirate and at least half the water from the tub ended up on Harry and the floor.

After reading him two stories, Harry had settled him down for bed, and after an hour of reading, he'd decided to do to bed himself. Just as he was drifting off, the soft creek of the door startled him, forcing his sleepy mind back to full alert.

Teddy stood at the door, clutching his favourite stuffed dragon tightly in his hands.

"What's up Teddy Bear?" Harry asked, holding his arms out for the boy to climb up onto the bed and into.

"I dreamded a bad dream, uncle Harry," the little boy whispered. Harry could feel him trembling. He helped him settle down against the spare pillow, stroking Teddy's hair as his eyes started drooping immediately.

"Love you, uncle Harry."

"Love you too, Teddy Bear."

Harry watched the little boy slip into a peaceful sleep. He thought that, perhaps, Ginny was right.

Maybe he was doing alright.

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 **Written for;**

 **Character Appreciation** \- 16. Reusable Hangman

 **Disney** \- T2. A toddler investigating something new.

 **Book Club** \- Easter - Picnic / Flowers / Nurturing

 **Showtime** \- Marilyn Monroe - A single parent

 **TV Addict** \- The Sinner - Having a breakdown during a day at the beach

 **Build A Bunny** \- Stuffing - Teddy / Psychotic / Kill two birds with one stone / Carpet / French fries

 **Easter Basket** \- Stickers - Sticky / Ginny Weasley / Being caught in an awkward situation /

 **Auction** \- "Well, this is awkward."


End file.
